The Sharp Project creative complex has become the first venue outside London to host Pitch@Palace On Tour.

In total, 17 tech start-ups from across the UK, including seven from Manchester and one from Lancaster, gave a three minute presentation to The Duke of York and a panel of judges.

They included Scott Fletcher, founder of Manchester's ANS Group, Martin Bryant, from The Next Web, and Lawrence Jones, from UKFast.

The Duke of York Pitch@Palace last year to support entrepreneurs' business ideas by connecting them with potential supporters, including company bosses, angels, mentors, and other key business partners.

The judges selected three finalists who will now attend a ‘Boot Camp’ in London to gain more mentoring and coaching before Pitch@Palace 4.0 at St James Palace on November 2.

The Duke of York at The Sharp Project

The Sharp Project is a Manchester council-backed base for digital firms, in Newton Heath, east Manchester.

The Duke of York said: “Pitch@Palace has taken off in a way I never expected. It started when I thought I should become a VC myself but I quickly realised a member of the Royal family would never make a good VC.

"However, I can add value to the world of the entrepreneur by being an accelerant and nothing more. I can help people network, make connections and help businesses accelerate.

"It great to be able to take what we’ve done in London and bring it to the regions. This is about finding more entrepreneurs and helping them get the exposure they rightfully deserve.”

Stuart Marks, founder of L Marks and supporter and organiser of Pitch@Palace On Tour, said: “This event is all about entrepreneurs and supporting the best and brightest in the country. With Manchester’s growing reputation as a buzzing digital city it seemed a natural first stop on our tour and we couldn’t imagine a better place to showcase our event than The Sharp Project.”

"Not only are we home to more than 50 tech and digital businesses but we have a strong commitment to education and skills in the sector and developing talent to provide the next generation of tech entrepreneurs, both of which are subjects hugely supported by The Duke.”

Jonathan Burr with The Duke of York

Jonathan Burr is founder and chief executive of HOWZ, a company that has created an app to help monitor the health and well-being of the elderly.

It is based at The Sharp Project and is one of the three finalists that will be going to ‘Boot Camp’ with 41 other companies from across the UK.

He said: “It’s very exciting to have got to the next stage. It was quite a challenge to explain what we do in just three minutes but I hope we got across that we have done our research and we are really passionate about our product.

"We hope to market this service to individuals, but also housing associations, as it is a cost effective way for them to monitor their older residents’ health and alert them quickly if any issues occur.”